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Posts tagged ‘FIRST training’

Stress Fracture Update

The big news this week is that I ran… twice! The first one was supposed to be just a mile, but turned into two, and the second was supposed to be 3.5 and ended up being 2.5 due to freezing rain, but still, I ran! My foot felt a bit sore for about the first mile or so of each, and again towards the end of both runs, but overall there seemed to be no increased soreness or swelling afterward. I did notice that my arch felt a bit tight a few hours after, and I think I will probably need to be a bit more diligent about stretching and using the foam roller as I ease back into running. I’ve been keeping up with the strength, biking, and swimming this week as well, and weirdly, I think I can actually feel my body starting to adapt to the new training. Everything stays the same for days or weeks, and then suddenly the hand weights that felt heavy last week seem to be lighter, or something will just click mid-swim. Last week I looked in the mirror and thought that it seemed odd that my arms didn’t really look any different after a month of swimming and weight training, and then two days later I looked like I had taken up a blacksmithing hobby. (I actually did a little in college and have some lovely candlesticks to show for it…)

Anyway, I’m trying hard to come up with a training plan for the next several weeks that will challenge me without risking reinjury. My successful runs this weekend gave me enough confidence to sign up for a 4-mile race a month from now, and I’ve decided to try using a slightly modified FIRST plan to train. I’ll actually be doing the cross-training this time, which should fold nicely into my tri plans, and if all goes well, a fast 4-miler will set me up for faster distance work this spring. I still need to lay out my full race calendar for the year, but I want to hold off a few more weeks to see what kind of running volume I’m able to handle before I start committing to the spring races that I really want to do. In related news, I got the email on Thursday for my guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon, and $227 later I am officially in! Long Run Buddy is as well, and I’m very excited to have a training partner for the full distance of my long runs this fall.

When do I get to call myself a Triathlete?

Even though I’m holding off on committing to any major (running) races for a few more weeks, I did sign up for two sprint-tri’s in May and June, and suddenly that whole endeavor is getting much more real. My swim classes started last Tuesday, and I’m so, SO glad I enrolled. The class is geared to novice (but not absolute beginner) swimmers and is focused on the basics of technique and efficiency. I’ve always seen myself as a weak swimmer and was nervous that I should have signed up for the beginner class, but I seem to be at least at the average skill level in the group. A few of my classmates have done the NYC Tri before, so I feel a bit more confident that I’ll be able to get through the swim in the allotted time, not to mention survive a dip in the Hudson. There are also several veteran runners/first-time triathletes in the class who are signed up for the NYC race, and it will be great to get to know a few other newbies as well. Last week’s session focused mainly on breathing technique, and in addition to working side lying kicking and one arm drills, our coach referred us to this video, created by sea mammal Michael Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman. His explanation is very clear and after a very focused half hour in the pool this weekend I actually did start to feel the bow wave on my head.

This week I hope to start structured training for the 4-miler and settle into a workable training schedule that incorporates multiple swim, bike, run, and strength workouts each week. I will be doing two-a-days several times a week, but I’m hoping that scheduling more short and varied sessions will keep me healthy while still building fitness and strength. I’m trying to alternate days so that I minimize doing the same activity back-to-back, but I still have to work out the kinks. I’m incorporating a lot more strength training that I did last season, and I hope that will help me prepare for a heavier training load and avoid injury.

Here’s the plan this week:

Monday

Weight training – JM No More Trouble Zones

Tuesday

AM

Running – Intervals

6×800 @ 3:38*

RI 90 sec

PM

Swim class

Wednesday

AM

Swim – 30 min

PM

Strength – JM Ripped in 30 Week 2

Thursday

AM

Running – Tempo

2 mi @ 8:04*

1 mi easy

2 mi @ 8:04*

PM

Optional 30 min bike

Friday

AM

Strength – 1 hr with Trainer

Saturday

AM

3 mi easy

PM

30 min swim

Sunday

AM

Brick:

Cycle

10 min easy

10 min tempo

10 min easy

5 min hard

5 min easy

Long Run – 7 mi @ 8:34* (If all goes well this week)

*I should note that these paces are pegged to my last marathon and I have no idea if I’ll be able to handle the speed after 6 weeks off.

This week I’ve been trying to fight off the taper madness by focusing on why I’m doing the marathon, and why now. I entered my first half over six years ago, and honestly never felt temped to enter a full until a few years ago. I know plenty of people who ran their first marathon in their first year of running. I’m always impressed with the courage and dedication that it takes, and I’m not in any way knocking it. It’s just that the marathon has always had mythic proportions in my mind. The 1984 Olympic women’s race is one of the first sporting events I ever remember watching, and the image of Joanie charging into the stadium (and later, Gabriela Andersen staggering around the track) stuck with me. My mom explained to me how far they’d run in terms of a frequent car trip we’d take, and to this day, when I picture myself running a marathon, it’s along that stretch of road in Central Pennsylvania. I’ve always had a huge respect for the event and the distance, and I never wanted to do one ‘just to finish.’ It may seem silly, particularly for a middle-of-the-pack runner, but it was important to me to be able to truly race the marathon and honor the tradition in some small way.

Three years ago I entered the lottery for New York, got in, trained, got hurt, and had to withdraw. I entered the lottery every year after that and have not gotten in, but there are hundreds of other marathons I could have done instead. I just never felt like I was quite ready or that it was the right time. Some of it, I’m sure, was the fear of injury and what happened last time. Partly I just wasn’t enjoying racing all that much. I hadn’t broken two hours in a half marathon in two years. I was kind of making peace with it and was reluctantly accepting that 9+ minute miles were my limit. This year, though, something shifted. Before I had even signed up for any races, I decided to go back to training with the FIRST plan. It’s rigorous, regimented, and not something one really does for fun. For the first time in ages, though, I was getting faster. I signed up for and ran the Chanukah Chalf last November, broke two hours, and nearly PR’ed it in 40 mph wind gusts. That spurred me to enter another one shortly thereafter to see if I could get the PR in better conditions. I did, and started slowly chipping seconds and minutes off my times all winter and spring. When the snow started melting, I knew it was time. I lotteried for New York and the day I got the rejection, I signed up for Baltimore. I’ve been officially training for the marathon since June, but I feel like the whole year has led up to this race. I’m nervous. I’m excited. I’m already a little sad that it’s going to be over soon.